2 Acres, 3 businesses, and a legacy built from farming
As we celebrate International Women’s Day 2026, we embrace the theme “Give to Gain.” In this, the Year of the Farmer, we aren’t just looking at yields—we are looking at the women who cultivate the future of our food systems.
Today, we celebrate Lily Chepkwony, a potato aggregator and a farmer service centre (FSC) in Nakuru County.
At 46, Lily is more than a farmer in Taachasis Village, Keringet; she is a masterclass in resilience and a trailblazer in a landscape where the odds have historically been stacked against women.
The power of land ownership in a changing Kenya
In many parts of rural Kenya, land is traditionally passed down from father to son. For many women, land is something they work on, but rarely something they own. Without a title deed in their own name, women often lack the collateral needed for credit and the long-term security to truly scale their businesses.
Lily decided to rewrite that narrative.
She didn’t wait for an inheritance or a seat at the table; she built her own. Through sheer determination and the strategic reinvestment of her potato farming profits, Lily achieved what was once considered “impossible” for many: she purchased 2 acres of land, fully financed through her own hard work.
By owning her land, Lily didn’t just buy soil; she bought her sovereignty.
A business built on stability
On her own 2 acres, Lily doesn’t just grow crops; she grows stability. She grows potatoes, cabbages and peas.
But she didn’t stop at the harvest. Lily has transitioned from a smallholder to a commercial hub, aggregating produce from fellow farmers in her community and selling to traders across Kenya. She has become the bridge between the village of Keringet market and the national market.
Lily shares her utmost gratitude for the opportunity FtMA has given her as FSC and aggregator to transform farmers’ lives and hers. “Through FtMA, I can access structured markets such as Redgate in Nairobi, EPZ for the red potato variety, Kilimani Fresh, Quick Basket, and Simplified in Naivasha. To expand her aggregation network, Lily and a few partners have opened stores in Ruaka, Nairobi, Bomet town, and Keringet. The stores serve as aggregation centres but also sell the potatoes to the local market.
By diversifying into the Mitumba business, she further secures her family’s future while providing essential agricultural inputs and services to her community.
Lily understands a fundamental truth: When a woman owns land, she gains the power to uplift everyone around her.
A story worth celebrating
Lily represents the thousands of Kenyan women transforming the agricultural landscape. They are shifting from “laborers” to “landowners,” and from “farmers” to “agripreneurs. On this international Women’s Day, we recognize that empowering a woman means securing her future and contributing to a more food-secure country.
